


it's such an icy feeling

by soaringrachel



Category: A Simple Favor (2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 06:54:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16113161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soaringrachel/pseuds/soaringrachel
Summary: “I’m willing to negotiate,” Emily says. Stephanie watches the tie swing between her breasts. She nods. They make a plan.(At the gravesite meeting, Stephanie goes for what she's realized she wants.)





	it's such an icy feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Is it a fix-it if what you're trying to fix is "the unambiguous triumph of good over evil?" Title from the Velvet Underground's "Stephanie Says."

”It was just sex,” Sean says on the recording. “I love  _ you _ .” Emily waits. Stephanie considers. 

“Sean doesn’t matter,” she says, finally. 

Emily frowns. “If you’re going to steal my husband,” she says, wounded, “I’d prefer you to at least give a shit about him.”

Stephanie shrugs one shoulder.

“Is he at least a better lay than your brother?” Emily asks. 

“Honestly?” Stephanie says. “No.”

Emily’s eyes widen.

“But your kitchen really is that nice,” Stephanie goes on. “And at least Sean’s alive.” Unlike Chris. Unlike Davis. Unlike Emily, for the time being. 

“I’m willing to negotiate,” Emily says. Stephanie watches the tie swing between her breasts. She nods. They make a plan.   
  


Margaret McLanden takes the fall gorgeously. Graceful as anything, and without a whisper of Stephanie’s involvement. With hardly a whisper of Emily’s, for that matter—to anyone but Sean, poor Emily was called back to a house of horrors by a villainess mother who nearly set her up for the whole thing; poor Emily is taking some time to recover. And to Sean, Emily is in the wind. 

Of course it’s a whirlwind of police and reporters but there’s a blessed day when it’s over, when Stephanie can do what she’s been wanting to do for weeks. She puts the boys to bed. She walks up behind Sean and puts her arms around him and says “Hey. Fuck me,” and tears off both of their clothes as she walks him upstairs to the bedroom.

She opens the bedroom door and smiles at Emily lying naked on the bed. 

“Jesus,” Sean says, and then he realizes Stephanie isn’t surprised. 

“You—“ he says, “I thought you didn’t do  threesomes.”

“She’s persuasive,” Stephanie says, and Emily gives them a little wave, wiggling the finger where Sean’s mother’s ring would be if it wasn’t at the bottom of a lake.

“Persuasive,” Sean repeats, and Stephanie laughs and kisses him as Emily comes up behind her, sweeps her hair out of the way and kisses her neck. 

God, it feels good. Emily’s hands are light on Stephanie’s hips, Stephanie’s deep in Sean’s hair. “Come on,” Emily says, nudging Stephanie out of the way to kiss Sean over her shoulder, “come to bed.”

“Mmm,” Stephanie says, and does, laying back on the pillows and letting them fall in around her.

 

After, Sean looks at Emily.

“Get out,” he says, almost lazy but firm. 

“No,” Emily says. “I’m staying.”

“You’re not,” Sean tells her. 

“Aw,” Emily says, “so will you or Stephanie be telling Nicky that Mommy stopped by but couldn’t stay to see him?”

“I’m not sure you  _ should _ see him,” Sean says, but a little more helpless, looking to Stephanie. 

“Oh,” says Stephanie, “so you’re gonna tell Nicky that Miles gets to have a mommy and he doesn’t!”

Sean stares at her. 

“Jesus, Stephanie,” he says, “you’re on board with this?”

Stephanie smiles. 

“Okay,” Emily says, “here’s what you’re not gonna do.” She pulls Stephanie’s head into her lap, starts combing through her hair with her fingers.

“You’re not gonna kick me out,” she starts. “You’re not gonna pull that little ‘ah Stephanie you and I are reasonable grownups’ crap.”

Stephanie closes her eyes and sighs a little; Emily’s hands feel good. 

“You’re not gonna keep me away from my son,” Emily continues. “What you’re gonna do is go full ‘oh, my sweet Emily is returned to me, hallelujah.’ Hopefully you’ll even mean it.”

“I—“ Sean starts, but Stephanie interrupts him. 

“But of course we can’t split up the boys...” she says. “And I could barely keep up with my mortgage payments...”

“It’s the least we could do to let her stay,” Emily says, wide-eyed. “And in return—“ She reaches past Stephanie and slaps his ass. 

“Right,” Sean says, but before he can go on Stephanie leans up and kisses him on the cheek. “Good night, sweetie!” she says, and then she rolls over and snuggles in to sleep.

 

In the morning Stephanie clambers out of bed and ties on a robe, quickly braids her hair, and goes downstairs to make chocolate chip pancakes. Emily joins her after a minute. 

“Did I wake you?” Stephanie asks. Emily shrugs. “Light sleeper,” she says, and goes to the fridge. 

By the time Stephanie’s done with the first batch, the boys have smelled food and come crashing in and Emily’s made four mimosas. (Stephanie quietly swaps the boys’ out for plain orange juice, but she takes a grateful pull of hers.) Nicky is in Mommy’s Home heaven, and Miles is happy with the chocolate chip pancakes and seems at least tentatively pleased by Emily’s presence. Good. 

Sean makes it down when Stephanie’s flipping the batch of pancakes for herself and Emily’s pouring her third mimosa. Stephanie takes both of the glasses she hid from the boys and hands them firmly to Sean, one for each hand. She kisses him on the cheek and says “Good morning, sweetie!“

“Good morning, darling!“ Emily calls from the kitchen. Sean looks at them both, at the boys, at the pancakes. He takes a gulp from the left glass, then the right.

 

The next day is Monday and Emily is already on her way to work when Stephanie wakes. She pets Sean’s hair (he doesn’t stir) and steps quietly to the closet.

It takes her a moment to find the things she wants. A black slip dress. Lace underwear. Emily’s red leather gloves.

Darren just about expires on the spot when he sees her leading the boys into school.

“Oh, hon, cover your mouth,“ Stephanie says, miming with a gloved hand. “The kids are passing the  _ nastiest _ bug around.“

“I—yeah,“ Darren says, and then as she keeps walking calls after her, “You look great!“

Sean, at home before an afternoon class, seems to agree. Hopefully Emily will forgive her for inciting another day of not writing.   
  


Stephanie has more to do with her time, now, but someone still needs to man the cupcake table at the silent auction. Someone other than Stacy, who technically volunteered but absolutely cannot be left alone for this sort of task. Stephanie is not letting an afternoon baking and frosting six dozen red velvet cupcakes go to waste. 

Besides, Sean can’t be there until later—a work thing—and Emily—

Emily is not still in the city. Emily is in the cafetorium, waltzing through the door in the blue pinstripe suit she knows is Stephanie’s favorite. Stephanie gives a little wave and Emily rolls her eyes.

“Hey,” Stephanie says when Emily makes it to the cupcake table. Emily flicks her eyes up and down, checking her out, and then whispers in her ear.

“Meet me in the bathroom in twenty seconds,” she whispers, grabs a cupcake and stalks off again. 

Stephanie waits a second then looks—yes, there’s Sona coming over to gossip. 

“Hey,” she says, untying her apron, “cover for me, I have to go take care of something.”

Sona says “uh, okay?” and takes the apron—a little stunned, maybe, but Stephanie’s already off past the row of spa baskets.

She’s pushing open the bathroom door when she realizes she didn’t tell Sona she was sorry. 


End file.
